Upscale Martin House

This birdhouse is more like a luxury high-rise apartment than a single-family home. The 12 compartments are geared for the needs of purple martins. They live together in large colonies and feed on insects. A 12-unit martin house is definitely on the larger size for birdhouses. But that doesn’t mean it should be heavy. We used lightweight (but strong) cypress and coopered construction to form the round shell. Round balconies and a perch rail wrap around each of the three levels. Inside, 1?4" exterior-grade plywood makes up the floors and walls. There’s also a unique ventilation system to keep the compartments dry and cozy. To cap things off, the overhanging roof offers up a few challenges for making the parts and then gluing them up into a solid, water-tight assembly.

WHAT YOU GET
14 pages of step-by-step instructions
100 full-color photos and illustrations and exploded views
Cutting diagram and materials list
Full-size pattern for the curved parts
Retail sources for project supplies